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In my short spin, I just grinned from the power, the force, and the sound. Almost immediately, you’ll feel that the Escape’s designed with the V6 largely in mind. It’s no surprise to find out that 70 percent of US sales all come with the V6. The brakes too were taken into account. Despite the Vented Disc / Drum set-up, the Escape recently topped Car and Driver’s braking distance test of compact SUVs. Chassis-wise nothing has changed, and there’s no need to, since it’s already one of the best out there especially when it comes to overall comfort and corner chuckability. Unlike the RAV4, CR-V, Outlander and X-TRAIL, the Escape’s not based on a compact sedan, rather it’s based on the Contour / Mondeo—a car that’s already known for its Euro handling. Sadly, the ControlTrac II all-wheel drive system doesn’t get any upgrades either, meaning the Escape V6 can still easily get upset when shifting from pavement to gravel to mud. The only solution is to switch to permanent 4x4 mode—careful though, leave it too long and it can overheat. Inside it gets the usual improvements to justify the P1.345 million tag: leather seats and a segment-unique power moon roof. Still, go beyond the obvious and you’ll appreciate the detail changes such as the gain of front map lights with a sunglass holder. Outside the changes are less that subtle, they’re absent. Sure, it’s got a nifty ‘winged V6’ badge, but colored bumpers or revised alloys would have gone a long way. Right now though, it looks bog similar to the 2.0-liter 4x4 XLT. Unfortunately, like the Ford Everest drive, 15 minutes is not enough with the Escape. It’s screaming for the open road. At P1.345 million, it’s a bit pricey for a 5-seater SUV. Still, there’s a price to pay to surprise the hell out of those pesky road racers. Seeing their bewildered faces is already a justification of its list price. Two different philosophies, two different markets. In this emerging SUV market, Ford has already started to offer more choices to the consumer. I can’t wait to see what the market would be like. Until then, make mine Escape V6. |
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